Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture

Comments on the Finalist

“A True Calling” introduces traditional Indian culture, blending it with Taiwanese flavor. The performance, which employs a unique reenactment and story-telling techniques, is carried out in two languages: Manipuri and Mandarin by the two actors Chongtham Jayanta Meetei and Derrick Wei. The performance suggests a ying-yang concept, emphasizing presence and absence with alternating forms such as comparison, juxtaposition and replacement “A True Calling” presents the exchanging of performers, roles, and languages to explore the timeless topic of performer versus performance. The style is simple yet creative, and the performances are powerful without being elaborate, making this the most sincere and weighty performance of the season.Committee member：Chi-Feng CHANG

Artwork Introduction

EX-Theatre Asia performed “A True Calling” on May 5, 2010 at Bamboo Curtain Studio. EX-Theatre Asia’s mission is to explore, experiment and exchange. By borrowing traditional symbols and tales from various cultures, the company transforms these ancient stories and story-telling techniques to create a new and unique contemporary type of theatre.

Directed by actors Chongtham Jayanta Meetei and Derrick Wei, “A True Calling” is based on ancient Indian oral story-telling, yet modified for the local Taiwanese audience. The play incorporates common characteristics of Asian theatre: story-telling, dance, music, poetry and masks with a highly mannered acting technique which provides a more visual and sensual aura along with stylized speech, gestures, and costumes.

“A True Calling” intentionally follows the oral tradition, yet rejects a realistic and linear representation of telling a story. Actors switch roles, and their transformations blur the boundaries between fantasy and reality, and between time and space, thus creating a timeless expression.

In their workshop-like rehearsals, the two directors developed the short script into a full-length play. On stage, the two actors spoke their mother tongues: Manipuri and Mandarin. To overcome the language barrier, the actors interpreted the text by relying on intense physical movement. Such a performance style is challenging, yet it is commonly seen in various Asian theatrical forms, where the physical movement and the spoken words support each other.

EX-Theatre Asia’s multi-cultural collaboration included Singapore’s experimental musical group ACRN TEMPL to design the music. Working directly with the actors in the workshop, they developed the musical motifs which fully supported the direction of the play.

By combining all of these theatrical elements, EX-Theatre Asia weaves the various art forms together and returns to the core essence of traditional theatre, a place for philosophical thought and revives the ancient Indian text transforming it into a contemporary perspective.

About the Artist

Based in Miaoli Taiwan, EX-Theatre Asia is a theatre company that seeks multi-cultural dialogue in theatrical expression by collaborating with other artists from around the world while also creating neo-classical style works. 

In recent years, several of the company’s productions have been nominated for major art awards and the company has also been invited to perform in international art festivals. EX-Theatre Asia is unique in Taiwan’s theatre community as it transcends the language barrier with its dynamic cross-cultural performance style and its blend of the world’s traditional tales told through the use of music, dance, poetry and other artistic elements.